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it seems like this would be good to use for swarm control (some bees going downstairs to the brood and others upstairs to store the honey) and less traffic in the brood chamber.

i'm thinking that if i use a queen excluder it would go below the upper entrance, but will drones be trapped below?

i ask this because i've had a hive crash one time and when i pulled the excluder out it was covered with dead drones (each trying to squeze through to the ohter side, some from the top some from the bottom).

also, concerning "bee space". it seems that a shim and an inner cover put together to make a bigger "notch" entrance would be to much space and end up being bur combed. is this right?

&gt;i'm thinking that if i use a queen excluder it would go below the upper entrance, but will drones be trapped below?

Anytime there is a queen excluder between the drones and the exit they will die.

&gt;i ask this because i've had a hive crash one time and when i pulled the excluder out it was covered with dead drones (each trying to squeze through to the ohter side, some from the top some from the bottom).

Yep.

&gt;also, concerning "bee space". it seems that a shim and an inner cover put together to make a bigger "notch" entrance would be to much space and end up being bur combed. is this right?

Probably. Burr comb isn't the end of the world. But when the main entrance is on the top they usually don't burr much at the top because there is too much traffic. Mine on the shims are too much space at the front where the entrance is, but they just don't burr it where the entrance is.

If you want a large entrance on top, I'd just use the shims. It will make the entrnace at the front for you without increasing the beespace much at the back.

I don't know. I did top entrances to get rid of the skunks. But I've always tried to have some top entrance for ventilation and especially when there is an excluder to save them having to go through it.

Just so long as drones aren't stuck somewhere without an exit things will work out. If they are stuck in the supers without an exit or stuck in the brood chamber without an exit, it will be a disaster.